Utopian Childhood
by alexandrestone
Summary: New York


It was a sunny day in California. A lot sunnier than the last time Julian was out west. Temperature wasn't the only thing that had changed, he considered. As he walked around the remnants of Utopia, he was amazed by how different the island looked. It wasn't just the debris and shattered buildings. It was the spirit of the island. It used to be a beacon of hope for mutants. A last stand of their dying race against the humans that robbed of their dignity whenever possible. It was almost haunting to be on the empty island and Julian couldn't help but consider the possibility that coming here was a mistake.

"Not much of a home anymore, huh?" Julian didn't need to turn to recognize the voice that interrupted his thoughts.

"Hey Cess," Julian searched his pockets until he found the lined piece of paper that had brought him across the country. "What's with the cryptic letter?"

Cess let her mercurial body melt into a puddle that travelled down the rubble and reformed in front of Julian.

"We left some loose ends, Jules," she said. "This was our home and we just left it...without turning back. No hesitation. That's just … wrong."

"We lived here, yeah. But it was never a home," Julian had wished it was something more than nostalgia that made him come back. "It was a bunker on a floating island. It wasn't a home."

He could tell that his words had unintentionally hurt Cessily. He didn't wish to push it any further.

"Cess, Wolverine sent me to find you and bring you back home."

"By any means necessary?"

Julian laughed. "Somebody's a little overdramatic. No, he wants me to ask you to come home. But why wouldn't you?"

Cessily paused. She needed a minute to find the right needed Julian to stay with her, there was no doubt about that.

"I think we made a mistake going with Wolverine."

"Really? You want to find Cyclops? Trust me, that's no…"

"No. I don't think that would have been the right choice either. It's just...What I'm trying to say is that I can't be around those people anymore. Logan has all these new kids like shark face and eyeballs and … I just can't be around them. They don't get me. They don't get us, Jules. How could they? They have no idea what we've been through."

Cessily could feel her sadness betray her. She turned away hoping Julian didn't notice her eyes. Any other girl would have been trying her tears, but Cessily tried to hide her lack of tears. She hated any time her mutation made her seem less...normal. It was odd considering all her skin had a metallic shine.

Julian commanded his metallic arms to reach out to her shoulders.

"Is this about Brian?"

"It's two years tomorrow."

"I know."

Brian Cruz was Julian's first friend at the Xavier Institute. He was genuinely funny and loyal and everyone that really knew him, loved him. He was also one of the unlucky ones that lost their powers on M-Day. Tomorrow would mark the two-year anniversary of the depowered students trying to head to the safety of their homes. The day that hateful men and women t decided that 15-year-old boys and girls should die for being born different.

Brian was buried on the school grounds because his parents didn't want his body back. The minute he came out as a mutant the Cruz family decided that they had two children, instead of three.

"Brian didn't go to the Jean Grey School of whatever, you know? I walk through those hallways and feel like an effin' stranger." Cess said. "I'm not going back, Jules. I have stuff I want to do...and to be honest. I learned more in New York about life and death, and being a mutant ...than any person our age should know."

It was hard for Julian to argue against that. He knew that it was better for Cessily to go back to the safety of the school, but he wasn't going to win that discussion.

"Look, I'm not going to rent out an apartment for us or anything… but if you feel this strongly about sticking around, I'm gonna stay with you," Julian said. "At least until you realize we don't belong here anymore."

Cessily smiled. She knew her friend wouldn't let her down.

"Thank you. It means a lot to me."

Julian and Cessily hugged in the middle of the empty island. The only sounds around them was the slow swishing of the calm waves..

"So where do we start, Mercury?"

Cess smiled.

"According to the files I found in Wolverine's office…"

"Found?"

"Fine. Stole from Wolverine's office. Anyway, Sooraya's mom was last seen in a shelter in northern California. So we're going to go check it out and with a little luck we're going to give Dust the most important person in her life back."


End file.
